1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods of manufacturing safety razors, and in particular to methods for manufacturing a razor cartridge for a safety razor that includes a shaving aid.
2. Background Information
Modern razor assemblies, sometimes referred to as “safety razors”, often include a plurality of razor blades disposed within a cartridge that is pivotally or rigidly mounted on a handle. The razor cartridge normally includes a guard disposed forward of the blades and a cap portion disposed aft of the blades. The guard and the cap orient the position of the person's skin relative to the blades to optimize the shaving action of the blade. The terms “forward” and “aft”, as used herein, define the relative position between two or more things. A feature “forward” of the razor blades, for example, is positioned so that the surface to be shaved encounters the feature before it encounters the razor blades, if the safety razor is being stroked in its intended cutting direction (e.g., the guard is forward of the razor blades). A feature “aft” of the razor blades is positioned so that the surface to be shaved encounters the feature after it encounters the razor blades, if the razor assembly is being stroked in its intended cutting direction (e.g., the cap is disposed aft of the razor blades).
Multiple razor blades are typically utilized within a razor cartridge to increase the closeness and quality of the shave produced by the razor cartridge. Multiple razor blades, however, tend to increase the razor cartridge's drag on the skin. To minimize or prevent irritation that typically accompanies drag, it is known in to attach a strip of shaving aid material to the razor cartridge. Shaving aid materials are typically water-soluble materials that lubricate or otherwise aid the skin during and after shaving to minimize or prevent the undesirable irritation.
A disadvantage of many currently available razor cartridges is that the shaving aid strip is short-lived. Once the shaving aid strip is consumed, the benefit it provides (e.g., lubrication, etc.) is also gone and undesirable irritation is increasingly possible. Another disadvantage of many currently available razor cartridges is that the shaving aid strip dispenses shaving aid at a less than desirable rate.
To optimize the effectiveness of a shaving aid material, it is advantageous to dispose a shaving aid strip between the guard and the one or more razor blades. The limited space between the guard and the one or more razor blades, however, permits only a narrow shaving aid strip. The narrow strip is difficult to manufacture using currently available techniques.
Accordingly, what is needed is method of manufacturing a razor cartridge for a razor assembly that provides a shaving aid that is likely to last longer than those currently available, and one that can be used to create narrow shaving aid passages where desired.